Continuing with my Bug out Bag series;

Shallow cuts and scratches are the most common injuries faced when hiking, getting a small scratch at home or on a day hike is no biggie but when you are escaping a hostile environment I would imagine that hygiene is not high on your list of things to worry about, thus the risk of infection can become a big problem.

To combat this you want to clean your wound with a strong disinfectant- the choices on the market are huge but I just use 90% proof alcohol which not only will kill all water and airborne bacteria but can be handy as an emergency firestarter.

With regards to bandages I have both band aid type waterproof bandage in a roll and butterfly clips.

Those two types of bandages + disinfectant, paracord and superglue will allow you to deal with 70% of common injuries as long as you think outside of the box which brings me to the last dual use first aid item which is the sewing kit which you can use to mend clothing but more importantly to also close a wound.

Should you have a wound that is deep enough that you require sutures then simply boil your needle to kill any bacteria, clean the wound with the alcohol and stitch it up , liberally apply more disinfectant then cover the sutures with a band aid and add duct tape over that.

Strong, safe and it does not require much gear to have with you (and risk losing).

Done.

The big problem people will have is that I have not included one of those mini first aid kits in my BoB template, the reason why is quite simple- I often hike with far less than I have listed and I cannot see a situation where I will need all the crap companies add to justify the price.

The other reason and in my opinion the more important one is that I dont want to rely on specialized equipment- if you need a specific tool to do a specific job and that tool gets misplaced or broken…what do you do? I dont want random chance to negatively screw up my plans. By taking control of my gear I lessen the chance of my survival being dependent on my equipment.

This philosophy is the one that really seems to annoy people and I am ok with that, you want a fully loaded med kit in your BoB as opposed to in your BOL(Bug out location) or BOV (bug out vehicle) which is where it really should be? Go for it.

Next up with be mess tins/cans and high energy bars.

First aid guide for you to glance over, bare in mind that it is from the Marine corps and thus the emphasis is on battlefield first aid.

MCRP 3-02G First Aid.pdf

Paracord

Possibly the most useful stuff you can come across, amazingly strong nylon based material that will support roughly 550lb (250kg) of strain, hence the term 550 paracord.

The beauty of paracord besides its strength is how versatile it truly is- Paracord is threaded cord (generally 32 strands) which means that if you need some thinner cord to say…sew up your leg after being bitten by a zombie or make a fishing line then you can just split some thinner strands of cord with relative ease.

Para cord is used to build shelters (A frame for example- look at the downloads section for a manual), quick fix equipment by tying it up before it falls apart (think ruck sack) and thousands of other uses. Its used commonly as a handle wrap for edged instruments but that is only one example of the many tasks it can accomplish if you use your grey matter and some creativity.

The fact of the matter is; Paracord is strong, light, cheap(’ish) and will last forever so you have no reason to not have it in your BoB, one day you will be thankful to have remembered to pack it in.

You can buy it over eBay (look for 550 cord) and most army surplus/ tool stores.

Also Check out these examples for inspiration:

http://www.m4040.com/Knifemaking/cordwrap.htm

http://www.slatts.fsworld.co.uk/slatts-knot.htm

http://www.freewebs.com/nrgmechanics/550paracordsling.htm

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/771863/post/974596/hl/tutorial/#974596

http://www.lighthound.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=6

http://stormdraneslanyard.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkRlGEaTjAk

http://www.survivaliq.com/survival/food-procurement_s2.htm

http://www.survivaliq.com/survival/food-procurement_s4.htm

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bjMmla9DSzo&feature=related

Lighting

Being able to see in dodgy lighting conditions could be the difference between life and death (ForcedeFrappe.com- selling fear to the masses since 2002 ), having a torch with you is important.

So lets talk options; high end torch manufactures use 123A lithium batteries, they are small, powerfull and have a long shelf life.

All this sounds awesome however they are expensive and in a prolonged crisis will be hard to find so I suggest having 1 top end torch for tactical reasons (emergency/ first 3 days of crisis where compromise is not an option) and another torch using a more common power source (AA cell batteries). A wind up torch could be useful for a seriously longterm crisis, something to think about.

The strength of the beam (how bright it is) is calculated in lumens and the higher you go the brighter it will be-however the quicker the battery will run out too so as with everything you need to pick the right balance. I would suggest a torch with variable levels of light output like the Fenix T1 or TK10 . Fenix lights are reliable, sturdy and powerful and you really can’t go wrong with them.

Other brands include Surefire , NiteCore Tactical, ZebraLight, Olights and Muyshondt Flashlights.

Prices vary and so do the features so look around at what is available to you and decide what you are prepared to spend relative to the features offered. In my experience Fenix offer great torches at a reasonable price but what you go with is up to you.

Communication devices

In a crisis you will want to be updated on the situation as it happens so bringing a portable radio is a great idea- Cell phones will be unlikely to work based on passed events (Katrina for example) so having alternate modes of keeping in touch with the rest of the world is a great idea. Local and national radio stations will broadcast all relevant information from the most affected areas (don’t go there!) to current safe zones which can make such a tool indispensable in your survival arsenal.

Knowledge truly is power.

I have a cell phone with 5 spare batteries + a car charger and a wind up radio. I really can’t advise you on what to get since my knowledge of comms is negligible at best. I know enough to survive but beyond that I wont be holding communication classes anytime soon!

Look for power source, how rugged it is (waterproof radio could be a good idea- look at the ones designed for use in showers) and the general cost.

http://www.buyasurvivalkit.com/category/8502366041/1/Radios-Weather-Alerts.htm

Looks like an interesting website- specially the Black & Decker “Storm station” Flashlight, radio and power inverter! Looks ideal however I do not own one but if I get it I will write up a review.